Given the height restrictions here (Logan runway 15R / 33L flight path), the soccer stadium makes huge sense as part of the buildout. High value use in a mid-rise structure.

The new soccer stadium for DC United is on a 14 acre site. I am skeptical that turning over a similarly-sized land parcel at Suffolk Downs for an occasional use venue would represent a high value use. If you built on seven of the 14 acres, with buildings averaging seven stories, that's 2 million square feet of building.

__________________A man gazing on the stars is at the mercy of the puddles in the road

The new soccer stadium for DC United is on a 14 acre site. I am skeptical that turning over a similarly-sized land parcel at Suffolk Downs for an occasional use venue would represent a high value use. If you built on seven of the 14 acres, with buildings averaging seven stories, that's 2 million square feet of building.

Well, I have to think the venue would get a lot more use than just soccer. Good size stadium with T access close to the city would be ideal for many concerts.

Well, I have to think the venue would get a lot more use than just soccer. Good size stadium with T access close to the city would be ideal for many concerts.

Right, but compared to the amount of housing or workplace or retail that could go on a site that big, a stadium is simply a waste of space. That's actually true of Fenway and the Garden, too. No sports facility is the highest and best use of land.

Right, but compared to the amount of housing or workplace or retail that could go on a site that big, a stadium is simply a waste of space. That's actually true of Fenway and the Garden, too. No sports facility is the highest and best use of land.

But they generate crowds and economic traffic in ways other uses do not. It is a balancing act, but you really don't think our sports venues pay for themselves in collateral economic effect?

But they generate crowds and economic traffic in ways other uses do not.

An office building generates more. The Partners HQ at Assembly Square was discussed for a stadium, to the extent that I still think it's on "Revolution Drive" as an artifact of that plan. Think FRIT or Somerville are upset they got 2,000 workers on-site every day, instead of 10,000 people 10-20 evenings per year?

Since you amended your post... stadiums don't create zero economic benefit, but they don't generate more than boring uses.

Fenway isn't booming because of Fenway Park, it's booming because of Longwood.

And to further add... I'm not saying we should never build venues. They can be catalysts where development would not be occurring otherwise - Polar Park in Worcester is a good example of that, as was Camden Yards, Capital One Arena, etc. Suffolk Downs has a developer willing to spend big on housing, jobs, and retail, so there's no need to catalyze it with a soccer stadium.

An office building generates more. The Partners HQ at Assembly Square was discussed for a stadium, to the extent that I still think it's on "Revolution Drive" as an artifact of that plan. Think FRIT or Somerville are upset they got 2,000 workers on-site every day, instead of 10,000 people 10-20 evenings per year?

Since you amended your post... stadiums don't create zero economic benefit, but they don't generate more than boring uses.

Fenway isn't booming because of Fenway Park, it's booming because of Longwood.

And to further add... I'm not saying we should never build venues. They can be catalysts where development would not be occurring otherwise - Polar Park in Worcester is a good example of that, as was Camden Yards, Capital One Arena, etc. Suffolk Downs has a developer willing to spend big on housing, jobs, and retail, so there's no need to catalyze it with a soccer stadium.

So then our challenge in Boston is that we don't actually have any in-city undeveloped real estate that needs a catalyst for development. So we'll never get a soccer stadium.

So then our challenge in Boston is that we don't actually have any in-city undeveloped real estate that needs a catalyst for development. So we'll never get a soccer stadium.

Pretty much. City has a housing crisis not a soccer stadium crisis. I can't think of a large parcel of land that I wouldn't rather see housing on at this point. Unfortunately for Kraft he missed the boat.

I'd rather see this stadium out in Worcester near the new Polar Park. Poach the Providence Bruins as well at an updated Centrum or whatever its called now and voila you have a non-Major sports league complex going on in a place that could probably use the economic activity.

So then our challenge in Boston is that we don't actually have any in-city undeveloped real estate that needs a catalyst for development. So we'll never get a soccer stadium.

The only site that I think works is Widett or some similar highway/railroad-walled location like Boston Sand and Gravel or Inner Belt. The Boston Tow Lot solution that has the most momentum is actually not a bad one. Not much desire to live or work in a place sandwiched between the SE Expressway and an MBTA maintenance yard that you can only walk to by going under said expressway, but it's transit accessible and would work for folks once in a while.

The former Wonderland Dog Track, just up the road a bit from Suffolk Downs, is 28 acres. The dog track once had more area than that because IIRC there was a large parking lot across the VFW Parkway from the track that was converted into a strip mall.

More than enough space for a soccer stadium.

__________________A man gazing on the stars is at the mercy of the puddles in the road